Five tips for keeping your shirt crisp while travelling

You have booked a flight, a nice hotel and made plans for some great day tips. Meanwhile, of course, you do want to look smart. While packing your suitcase you already start to think about all the wrinkles you will find in your shirt upon unpacking. We are here to tell you: don´t worry! With these five tips your dress shirts will look great upon arrival too!

Whatever method, or combination of methods you decide to use. Always remember to fold your dress shirt properly. Another way is rolling the shirt. This is a big part of preventing your dress shirt from wrinkling. You can put a sock in the collar, so it won´t get smashed in transport. Most drycleaners offer folding services too, so if you have an important business meeting, it might be smart to pay for this extra service to make sure your shirt is folded perfectly.

1. Steam is your friend

Of course you don´t want to bring your iron on a trip or on vacation. But there are other ways to create steam. Get the hot water flowing in the shower, close the door of the bathroom, ideally sealing it off completely. Maybe use a towel to close the gap under the door and make sure all windows are closed. If there is a ventilator, switch it off. Now find a hanger. Hang your dress shirt on the hanger as close to the steam source as possible, without it getting wet. If you are able to handle the water temperature, make sure to take a shower at the same time to save water. Leave the shirt(s) hanging for at least 15 minutes. All wrinkles should be relaxed by the steam and you are ready to wear you dress shirt!

This trick also works for other clothes, like pants of a suit jacket.

2. Invest in a clever or smart case

If you are a frequent traveler it might be worth the money to invest in a shirt case or clever case. These cases might take up a bit of extra space in your suitcase, but will certainly help you to keep your shirts wrinkle free throughout your travels. The hardcover case fits one shirt so it can´t move around too much (which is cause for wrinkles) and it protects the shirt from friction with other clothes. You can easily find them online, for example on Amazon.

If you don’t travel that frequently you could obviously still consider a smart case, or you could just use a (clean!) plastic bag with a dryer sheet in the fold of the shirt. That way you will prevent most wrinkles, because it still limits friction.

3. Don´t over pack or under pack your suitcase

You now know that wrinkling of shirts is caused by moving around too much and friction with other objects/clothes. So please don´t keep too much empty space in your suitcase. Fill it up with socks, underwear or even books. On the other hand, make sure not to over pack your suitcase either. If you over pack your suitcase the pressure will kind of press in the wrinkles.

4. Put heavy items on the bottom of your suitcase

Make sure to pack your suitcase in a logical way to avoid unnecessary wrinkles. That means putting heavier items on the bottom. Shoes, books and even jeans should be on the bottom of your suitcase. This creates a nice and soft layer. Put your shirts and dress shirts on top. This way the heavier items won´t cause your dress shirts to crease. For just general well-being of your clothes, it would be good to use the same method back home too!

5. Unpack as soon as possible

Try to unpack your suitcase as soon as possible once you arrive at your destination. If you are only staying one night, at least unpack the items you want to wear the next day. Just hanging the clothes should remove some creases already and is also good for just general maintenance of your clothes. Even if you are not feeling like it and just want to sleep (or hit the bar), take those five minutes to organize. You will thanks yourself later while wearing wrinkle-free shirts and looking good. Also… a well-organized room and suitcase it good for your mind too!